A string of homicides in Cumberland during 2021 kept local law enforcement agencies busy- but fortunately arrests were made in short order and those cases and indivuals are now in the hands of the courts. The deadly crimes in the city began on Sept. 10 when 34-year-old Krystal Gallen was stabbed at her Gay Street apartment. A two-day crime spree that was apparently sparked by a Cumberland man’s issues with the COVID-19 vaccine led to the deaths of an elderly woman in South Cumberland on Sept. 29. A crime that rocked the community occurred Oct. 28 when Fort Hill High…

Six of the seven candidates from Tuesday’s Allegany County Board of Education primary election will now move on to the general- and this week’s voting reflected strong support for the incumbents. David Bohn and Robert Farrell easily outdistanced the other candidates with each garnering about 20% of the vote- and both point to their strong showing as a sign that the public is satisfied the school board’s direction. Both say that issues generating controversy in other parts of the country- have successfully been kept away from the local school system- and that makes for a contented constituent base. Farrell says…

For the first time in 40 years of elections George Edwards name does not appear on any ballot- and while he isn’t 100% convinced it was the right decision not to seek another term- he’s not  going to second guess himself.  Edwards served 24 years as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates and the last 16 as a state senator. While Delegate Mike McKay and Commissioner Jake Shade spent much of the spring and summer on the campaign trail seeking to succeed Edwards, the retiring state senator, for the first time since the early 1970’s sat on the…

While the Cumberland Economic Development strategic plan offers a big picture vision to improve the local business climate- but city officials believe it paints with a broad brush and is short on specifics. The recommendations were included in a report compiled by RKG Associates-  a Virginia-based economic development consulting firm hired to provide an update on an economic strategic plan they compiled for the city in 2014.  Chief among the proposals- a need to hire additional staff including a marketing specialist and a grant manager. The plan, which was described by one city staffer as “fluff”, lacks the detail the city…

WCBC’s meteorologists report today will be hot and humid with temps in the mid 90's with the heat index approaching the 100's in the coming days. You should take precaution particularly if you will be spending time outdoors. The weekend will continue to be hot with temperatures climbing into the upper 90's. The Maryland Health Department website offers tips for staying safe and ways beat the heat…

The state of West Virginia continued to work on resolving a computer systems outage Thursday that is impacting residents' access to services at several state agencies, including the Division of Motor Vehicles. West Virginia Department of Administration officials announced Wednesday afternoon that it is experiencing a mainframe outage caused by equipment failure at its data center. Officials said the state Office of Technology has ordered the parts needed to repair the hardware, but that they don't know how long the outage will last. Division of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Everett Frazier said Thursday the outage is impacting the Division of Motor Vehicles’…

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is accepting applications for the 2022 black bear hunt lottery, according to a press release from the office. Successful applicants will receive a permit valid for the six-day hunting season, which for the first time includes a Saturday. The hunt will be open Oct. 24-29 in Allegany, Frederick, Garrett and Washington counties

Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Representative Don Beyer (D-Va.) introduced legislation to improve and modernize the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) in order to strengthen gun safety in our communities. The legislation – which follows last week’s Senate confirmation of Steve Dettelbach to serve as ATF Director – would remove irresponsible statutory restrictions that stand in the way of ATF’s mission to protect the public from violent criminals, criminal organizations, and the illegal use and trafficking of firearms. 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Baltimore District, Deputy Commander Lt. Col. David Myers will present the Corps Foundation Enduring Service Volunteer Award to Chip Parrill, Friends of Jennings Randolph Lake president, and Kathy Parrill, Friends of Jennings Randolph Lake treasurer, during an award ceremony at Jennings Randolph Lake, July 23, 2022.  "We invite the public to join us as we honor Chip and Kathy Parrill for their exceptional service to Jennings Randolph Lake and the region. They have made it their duty to develop, support and improve the betterment of Jennings Randolph Lake's natural resource and recreation stewardship missions,…

Maryland State Police are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying a suspect in a fatal hit-and-run work zone crash that occurred last month in Washington County. At about 4:19 a.m. on June 19, troopers from the Maryland State Police Hagerstown Barrack responded to eastbound Interstate 70 west of Maryland Route 66 for a report of a pedestrian who was struck while working in a construction zone. According to a preliminary investigation, a road crew was backing up in the left lane of eastbound I-70 and removing construction barrels from a previous roadway project. The victim, Ever Anibal Aleman Ramos,…